58 THE HIVE AND THE HONEY-BEE. 



late to such an extent as to render the hive too small for breeding, 

 and your stock will thus soon become extinct. Spring is tho 

 proper season for removing these substances ; the process is very 

 simple, consisting merely in fumigating the hives, and thus ren- 

 dering the bees for the time insensible, then, while they are in 

 this state, turning up the hive and cutting out a portion of the 

 old comb ; you should only cut away half at a time. The follow- 

 ing spring, perform the same process ; you will find the gap your 

 knife had made the previous year completely restored, and you 

 may now remove the remaining portion of old comb. By this 

 system of constantly inducing a renovation of the combs, you 

 ■will preserve your stock in a state of perpetual youth. Your 

 hive, even if made of straw, will last for an indefinite length of 

 time if protected externally by a thick coat of whitewash, or, 

 ■which is better, Roman cement ; do not let any one persuadeyou 

 to employ paint for this purpose ; if you do, you will lose your 

 bees. This cutting away of the combs may also be resorted to 

 in cases where your hives are infested with moths ; under such 

 circumstances you may cut away all the combs that contain the 

 larvae of those insects. 



Every bee-keeper should have an ordinary spatula, 

 and a set of bee knives. These should be in the forms 

 of the cut. They should be a foot long, beside the 

 handle, of metal ; arid the blades should be so sharp as 

 to cut the combs and not bruise or break them. 



All hives under the clear nett weight (bees and honey, 

 the hive and stand properly deducted) of 20 lbs. avoir- 

 dupois, must receive an allowance of food ; the exam- 

 ination to take place at the close of September. Honey, 

 vsrhen you have it and can spare it, is, of course, the 

 ' best food you can give your bees, and will not, as Mr. 

 Huish has asserted, give bees the dysentery ; but if you cannot 

 give honey, you may form an excellent substitute by boiling ale 

 and sugar together gently in a clean and well-tinned vessel, over 

 a clear fire, for about five minutes. One pound and a-half of 

 sugar may be added to each quart of ale, and the mixture is to 

 be skimmed, according as the scum rises to the surface during 

 boiling ; when the syrup is taken from the fire, add to it about a 

 teaspoonful of common table-salt for each quart of syrup. 



The cuts show a bee feeder. Tiiere is a hole in the centre 

 and tube in it. The lower cut shows the feeder with a glass bell 



